Lady Macbeth
by Sailor Rogue
Summary: All-girls fan-fic. The X-gals go to recruit a mutant, but find trouble when they meet her. The life of Rogue and the recruit's will forever change. Chapter 4 (teaser): It's out of love that we make the biggest sacrifices.
1. Introduction

Author's Rambling: This is not an "orginal" idea, but it's an orginal take on it. I had the idea for this story ever since season 1 but I changed the a few things from my original idea to fit season 2 (which worked out better I think). This is an all-girls fic, but there will be slight male presences. All the X-girls get about equal time here, except the main focused character (can you possibly guess who that is...hmmm??). I wrote this while anxiously waiting for the all-girls episode (which I didn't really like). Any similarities to any episodes or any other fics is purely coincidental.  
  
Note: Please review. Criticism is welcome as long as it's constructive (don't just tell me it stinks, tell me why it stinks).  
  
  
  
LADY MACBETH  
  
Friday afternoon, Bayville High. Rogue stood at her locker and waited for her friend Risty to join her. When Risty finally arrived, the two headed down the hall towards the lunchroom.  
  
"So, Rogue, we have another weekend upon us. What do ya wanna do?" Risty asked.  
  
"Ah wish Ah could do something, but my weekend's booked," Rogue replied.  
  
"Oh, bugger. Got a load of homework?"  
  
"No, actually. Ah'm goin' on a trip with some of my house-mates."  
  
"Oh, a trip! That sounds like fun! Where you goin'?"  
  
"Nah, it's nothing special. We're headed to Boston to meet someone."  
  
The two girls sat down at their regular solitary table as they continued their conversation over lunch.  
  
"Who you meeting? Friend? Family?"  
  
"No. It's hard to explain."  
  
"Oh, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand."  
  
"It's not that, it's...we're just meeting someone about coming to live with us at the Institute."  
  
"Oh, well, that could be fun. Meeting a new person can be exciting. Maybe it's a really cute guy, then you can get your mind off of Scott, hee hee."  
  
"Hey!" Rogue said, looking at Risty with a serious "don't-mention-him" look.  
  
"I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin'. But seriously, it sounds cool. Do you know anything about this person?"  
  
"Well, first of all, it's a girl. She's a senior in college at Boston University, so if she does join us, she'll be the oldest 'new kid'."  
  
"Well, doesn't sound too bad. She could be really cool and mature, and maybe you two can be friends. "  
  
"Ah doubt that. Ah hear she's a real big feminist. She's the president of a club called 'The Amazons'. She's a big activist for women's rights and her club is for 'the empowerment and liberation of women in a male-dominated society' . She doesn't sound like anyone Ah'd get along with. She seems more Kitty's type. Plus, Ah don't know if she'd like being in a house and having to work with guys. She seems more of a do-it-herself kinda girl."  
  
"Oh, well, you never know. Maybe the trip will turn out better than you thought."  
  
"Ah doubt that. Ah don't even want her to join. There's enough people in the house as it is. Ah don't need another person to have to get used to having around."  
  
"Yeah, you're definitely not a people person."  
  
"HEY!"  
  
"Come on...you're not denying it, are you?"  
  
"No, but....never mind, you wouldn't understand."  
  
Rogue, angry, got up from her seat and threw away her garbage before storming out of the room. She knew what Risty said was true, but that didn't mean she liked hearing people say it. After all, it would be hard to be a "people-person" when you couldn't get close to anyone. Risty got up to go after her but realized she should let Rogue go cool off for now.  
  
***End of the school day****  
  
The final bell rang and Rogue went to her locker to get all the things she needed for the weekend. She closed her locker door and was about to leave when she heard Risty calling for her.  
  
"Hey, Rogue, wait up. Listen, I'm really sorry about what I said today. I didn't mean to offend you."  
  
"No, it's all right. Ah'm sorry. Ah overreacted. Maybe one day Ah can explaing everything, but...Ah'm sorry."  
  
Risty smiled upon hearing that Rogue would perhaps feel close enough to her to share her secret with her. Mystique had lost Rogue once and now had the opportunity, as Risty, to become her friend and get closer to her. She was happy to see that it was working.  
  
"Hey, I'll drive ya home, so we can talk and hang out before your trip. Maybe when you get back, if you're not too busy with the new girl, we can see a movie or something."  
  
"Cool, thanks. And that sounds like a good plan."  
  
They walked out of school carefree, not knowing their lives were about to change forever.  
  
****At the Blackbird hangar****  
  
Jean, Storm, Rogue and Kitty met up at the Blackbird. The girls boarded and took their seats, Storm taking the pilot seat, and Jean taking the co-pilot seat.  
  
"This is so cool!" Kitty said excitedly. "Just us girls on a mission to recruit someone! We'll show the guys we can do it all ourselves! And the girl we're meeting sounds really cool too! This is just awesome!"  
  
"Oh, dear," said Rogue to Kitty. "Please tell me you're not going to be like this the entire trip or planning on singing 'Sisters are doin' it for themselves'. If the girl joins us and she's as perky a feminist as you, you're getting a new roommate."  
  
Surprisingly speechless, Kitty crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at Rogue. She continued to pout as the blackbird took off. 


	2. The Meeting/Battle

Please let me know what you think. Criticism is welcome, as long as it is constructive.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-men, but then you knew that, didn't you?  
  
***Some time later, at the Boston University Campus****  
  
After landing the blackbird and getting their things together, the four X- women head towards the Boston University Student Center to meet the new mutant.  
  
"According to this schedule and map, the Amazons' meeting is every Friday at 8pm, in room 120." Jean said. "So, I guess it's time for us to meet our prospective recruit."  
  
The girls walked into the building and found the room in which the meeting was to be held. They went in and sat in the back, waiting for the meeting to start and watching for the mutant they had come to recruit.. They looked around the room which was packed with women of all types and races, relaxing and talking to one another. They also noticed some men hiding in the back, snickering.  
  
"This sure seems like a nice place for women to get together and bond. But shouldn't someone tell those men over there to leave?" Storm said.  
  
"Don't worry, our Queen will take care of them." replied one of the women in the meeting.  
  
Moments later, a tall blonde woman entered the room. It was obvious by from the silence that quickly fell upon the room that she was the leader of the organization.  
  
"Good evening, my sisters," she said. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Ms. Carol Danvers, Queen of the Amazons of Boston University. And as you MEN should know by now, this meeting is for women ONLY, so will you guys in the back please leave before I have to remove you? I know you came here to start trouble, so just get out now before I have to start trouble for you."  
  
"What are ya gonna do?" said one of the men. "You can't hurt us. You might break a nail!"  
  
The audience was amused by the men's reaction. They all knew what was to come, with the exception of the X-women. Carol walked towards the men and picked one up single-handedly, dragging him outside the room.  
  
"Would the rest of you like to walk out or be dragged out?"  
  
The rest of the men left, frightened. The women in the audience clapped as Carol smiled proudly. The X-women looked at each other with astonished faces. Just as she was about to walk back up to the front of the room, Carol saw the X-women sitting in the audience. Her facial expression changed dramatically from happy to stunned. As she finally regained her composure, she walked up to the podium to begin the meeting.  
  
"Sorry about that, my sisters. Before we beging today's meeting, I have one announcement. In continuation with our increasing women's political awareness, I am reminding everyone to not only register, but to actually place our votes. We must be heard! Our votes do matter! Do not let the battles that our sisters fought for us to have our right to vote be in vain. If we show this male-dominated society that women do have a voice and will be heard, then they will no longer stand in our way and we CAN do anything! If we become political activists, we CAN have a woman president before the 30th century. Are you with me?!"  
  
"YEAH!" was heard throughout the female audience, one of the cries coming from Kitty. The others looked at her strangely, but she just shrugged back.  
  
"Now with that said, I'd like to introduce tonight's speaker. She is a columnist for Woman's Magazine, the magazine I worked for for quite some time, and a very good friend of mine. Please give a warm welcome to my Amazon sister, and now yours, Ms. Jessica Drew. And if you'll excuse me one moment, I have some business I need to attend to."  
  
The audience clapped as the speaker came up to the podium and Carol left the room. The X-women looked at each other with confusion and decided to get up and follow Carol. When they got outisde they found Carol standing there, waiting for them.  
  
"So, it was all true...they really came," she said to herself. "I'll have to get them to somewhere private, so that no one will see us."  
  
The X-women, now geared up, found Carol waiting outside.  
  
"I've been expecting you," she said. "There's a secluded area just outside this building where we can talk."  
  
They followed her to a large deserted grassy area behind the building. When she stopped, Jean walked towards her to speak to her.  
  
"Ms. Danvers, we'd just like to speak to you about--" She said just as she was interupted by Carol.  
  
"--my mutant powers and about joining your team. I know. I know all about you--you 'X-men.' I brought you here so that no one would hear us or see us using our powers and find out our secrets. I also brought you here to give you a chance to leave peacefully."  
  
"But you didn't even hear us out!" Kitty argued.  
  
"I don't have to listen to you. I know exactly why you're here and what you want. I can't believe she was right, about everything."  
  
"Who?" interjected Storm. "About what? Who told you about us? Whatever anyone said about us, please believe me, it's not true."  
  
"That's exactly what the woman told me you would say."  
  
"What woman?" Rogue asked. "What did she say about us?"  
  
"A mutant woman, one who could foresee the future. She told me you would come. She described you all perfectly. She told me why you would come and exactly what you would say. She was right about all of it. She warned me to watch out for you. I didn't believe her, but now I see it is all true. The battle gear, the determination in your eyes. Leave now before I have to get rid of you myself."  
  
"We've seen your power, with those men in the room," Storm told the angry Carol. "We know you have other abilities as well. We just want to help you control your power and abilities and use it for the benefit of mankind."  
  
"I am just fine on my own, thank you. Now, this is my last warning. Leave now or face the consequences."  
  
"Listen ta us, we're good really," pleaded Rogue. "Ah didn't think so at first either but Ah was being lied to, and so are you. Please, just trust us.".  
  
"That was my last warning Now you've asked for it. I'm a big advocate of female unity and I hate women-fighting-women, and especially fellow mutants, but you leave me no choice."  
  
Carol rose up a few feet off the ground and flew quickly, fists outwards, towards Storm like a torpedo. Storm flew up to avoid the attack.  
  
"You have no idea who you're dealing with. I'll stop you before you can do what you really came here to do." Carol said with fury.  
  
"Please, there's no need for this, we really don't want to fight!" Kitty yelled.  
  
"Usually I would never fight younger people, but for you, I'll make an exception."  
  
Carol flew towards Kitty and flung a punch at her. Luckily, it went right through Kitty as she phased herself just in time. Jean tried to use her telekinesis to freeze Carol, but Carol fought against it hard, making the strain for Jean to keep it up even harder, and finally forcing her to let  
  
her go.  
  
"Ha! Is that all you've got?"  
  
Storm created a dense fog to blind Carol but Carol flew up high enough to escape it. Storm flew up and created a strong storm to try and weaken the mutant, but nothing worked. Carol was invulnerable to the lighting and wind, and whatever else Storm could produce. She then lunged fiercely at Storm and punched her several times with all her might, rendering Storm unconscious and causing her to fall fast towards the ground.  
  
"STORM!" Kitty shouted.  
  
"I got her!", cried Jean, who used her TK to catch Storm and bring her gently to the ground.  
  
"Jean," said Rogue, "Ah have an idea but Ah need your help. Get me up there  
  
so Ah can take some of her power and weaken her."  
  
"I dunno, Rogue, she seems very strong. She may hurt you before you get a chance to touch her. She may be too powerful, even for your powers."  
  
"Just do it Jean, Ah can handle it."  
  
"All right, Rogue, but be careful, please. "  
  
Rogue took off her gloves and threw them on the ground next to Jean. Jean used her telekinesis to "fly" Rogue up to where Carol was.  
  
"Oh, I guess you want to give it a try too, eh? Well, come on then, give me your best shot."  
  
"Listen, please," said Rogue, trying once more to convince her. "We really don't want to hurt you or fight you. We really are the good guys. Ah don't know what that woman told you but it's not true. Trust me...please."  
  
"You really do sound sincere. But I fail to see how you can't be lying to me. I heard about what you do. Recruiting mutants to fight for your cause. Training sessions in a "Danger Room". You're a danger to society and I'm going to make sure you learn your lesson!"  
  
She flew towards Rogue and hurled a punch, but luckily Jean moved her out of the way before she could get hit. As Carol stopped to turn around for another attack, Rogue had the perfect opportunity for her attack.  
  
"Jean...now!"  
  
Jean "flew" Rogue quickly towards Carol, who still had her back to Rogue. Rogue grabbed her face from behind and held on tightly as Carol fought to get Rogue off her. Carol felt like her soul being pulled out of her, but kept struggling and fighting to remove Rogue. Rogue finally let go and now found herself flying on her own.  
  
"She WAS right about you. But I'll stop you before you get any more of me!"  
  
Carol flew towards Rogue in her torpedo position. Before Rogue could think of what else to do, she assumed a defense stance with her hands held out open straight in front of her. Carol's fists hit Rogue's unprotected hands, and once again Rogue was absorbing Carol's life force into her. Carol had struck Rogue with such force that the two flew back seveal feet, in that position, before Carol let go. Carol was now feeling weaker, but was not about to give up the fight.  
  
"Ah can't believe she's still fighting. She's stronger than any mutant Ah've ever absorbed", Rogue thought.  
  
Carol went towards Rogue full force once again, this time punching her several times. To Carol and Rogue's surprise, it didn't hurt Rogue one bit.  
  
"I...will NOT...be...defeated! I WILL...stop you!!!" Carol said, as she continued to punch Rogue.  
  
Finally, she grabbed Rogue by the arms and spun her around quickly several times before letting go. Rogue was thrown several feet but regained her momentum and flew back towards Carol for a counter-attack. The two continued throwing punches at each other, both doing no harm to the other.  
  
"You don't quit, do you?" Carol threatened. "This ends NOW!"  
  
"Ah was thinking the same thing, sister."  
  
Carol was surprised by Rogue's last remark. It sounded a lot like something that she would say. Rogue quickly flew around Carol, grabbing her face from behind with her bare hands and holding on with all her might. Carol struggled to shake Rogue off of her by flying all around as fast as she could and trying to pull her off, but Rogue now had her extreme strength and would not easily be removed. Rogue continued to hold on for quite some time. Suddenly, Rogue and Carol felt an immense pain and both let out a loud shriek. Second later, Carol lost consciousness and Rogue lost her grip on Carol. Rogue continued to scream in pain as Carol fell quickly towards the earth. Luckily, Jean was watching and saved Carol with her telekinesis before she hit . Rogue made a fast, rough landing onto the ground. She scrunched into a ball, palms held tightly against her ears as she screamed out in agony.  
  
Jean sat over Carol's seemingly lifeless body, while Kitty and Storm ran to Rogue.  
  
"Rogue!" cried Kitty. "Rogue, are you all right? Say something!"  
  
Rogue looked up blankly at Kitty.  
  
"Ah, Ah can't hear myself."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Storm. "What's wrong, Rogue?"  
  
Rogue suddenly stopped screaming and looked up at kitty and Storm.  
  
"Rogue? I don't know what you're talking about. Who are you? I feel...I feel strange. What's happening to me?" Rogue said before she screamed again.  
  
Kitty and Storm were very worried now, as they noticed that Rogue was no longer talking with her southern accent. No one knew what had happened, or was prepared for what was to come.  
  
"Voices...Ah can't hear mahself....The voice is too loud!!! HELP ME!!! Please...Help..ME!!!" Rogue yelled.  
  
Rogue's eyes were filled with tears. She held her hands against her head and screamed again, shaking her head in a fit. She got up quickly and flew off as fast as she could. Storm flew after her to catch her, but could not keep up with Rogue. Rogue was too fast for her and Storm was weakened from her fight with Carol. She stopped and flew back to Kitty and Jean.  
  
"I couldn't keep up with her. I don't know where she could be headed. She seems so...confused and distraught. We have to get to the Blackbird and contact Professor Xavier immediately to find her. Her powers will run out soon enough, I'm sure, so she can't get too far."  
  
"Umm.. We kind of have another problem," said Jean. "Carol's not waking up.I tried reading her mind, but it's blank. It's like her mind's just...gone."  
  
"Oh dear," said Storm. "We must get her to a hospital immediately then. Hopefully they can do something until we get to the Professor."  
  
Storm carried the unconscious Carol and flew to the University EMS. When no one was looking, Jean used her telekinesis to float her onto an empty gurney. When the EMS saw Carol, they took her vitals, put her in the ambulance, and rushed her to the hospital.  
  
"Now to find Rogue," said Storm.  
  
Note: Can you guess the connection to Macbeth? (there's 2, one which will be obvious later). 


	3. Aftermath

Author's Ramble: BIG thanks to those who read and reviewed (I REALLY appreciate it). I'm feeling a little discouraged at the number of reviews I got (being that it's my first time posting on here and everyone else seems to get reviews galore). I just want to know what people think. I was going to say that more reviews will mean more updates, but that wouldn't be fair to those who DO read and review. So instead, the more reviews, the faster the updates (which I think is fair, given that the more reviews, the more people reading, and hence the more people waiting for an update).  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
******Several minutes later*****  
  
Rogue had been flying for about fifteen minutes and she was starting to get tired. She was still crying, confused and scared, and still had a voice in her head that wouldn't shut up. She couldn't understand what it was saying because it was too low and too mumbled, but she still heard it. She decided to land before her powers ran out, whenever that would be.  
  
She landed at a train station and went inside to sit down and rest. Like a lost child, she looked around, wishing she had could buy a ticket, but her money was in her regular clothes and she had left so abruptly she hadn't been able to get them back. She also hadn't been able to get her gloves back. Her hands were now fully exposed and any accidental touch would render someone unconscious. She had to be extra careful now. She sat alone in one a chairs in the corner, feeling helpless. She put her feet on the chair, with her knees up, arms around her knees, and her head resting sideways on her arms. Tears started flowing from her eyes. She was lost and alone; she felt so hopeless and scared. She didn't have a way home, a way to contact anyone, no money to eat or find somewhere to sleep, and the voice in her head kept talking.  
  
"Are you all right dear?" she heard a woman ask.  
  
She looked up and saw a woman with long brown hair looking at her.  
  
"Are you all right? You look like you've lost your way."  
  
Rogue felt so scared and so alone she could hardly speak. Tears continued to flow from her eyes as she replied with a simple nod.  
  
"What's wrong, dear? Did you run away? Are you lost?"  
  
"Ah....Ah have no money. Ah don't know where Ah am or how to get anywhere....or even where Ah should go...."  
  
"Awww, you poor thing. Here you go. You take this and you buy a ticket on a train and you get yourself where you need to go. All right?"  
  
The woman handed Rogue some money, enough for a train ticket, a cab ride and some food.  
  
"Oh no, Ah couldn't. Ah can't take your-"  
  
"Now, now. You take it, all right. A pretty girl like you shouldn't be here all by herself."  
  
Rogue wiped her tears and let out a little smile. No one had ever been so nice to her, or called her pretty.  
  
"Thank you...Thank you so much. But, Ah don't know where Ah should go."  
  
"Go to somewhere you feel comfortable. Where you can be yourself and feel warm and safe."  
  
The woman was about to put her hand on Rogue's but Rogue quickly pulled away, which startled the woman.  
  
"Ah'm sorry, Ah just...Ah...Ah forgot mah gloves and...Ah have this..."  
  
"It's all right, dear. No need to explain. Do you know where you're going now?"  
  
"Yeah. *sniff* Home."  
  
Rogue went to buy her ticket and the woman watched Rogue from afar. She took out her cell phone to call someone.  
  
"Yes, she was here. She's on her way. I'm going to follow her."  
  
The woman went to the bathroom and emerged as an Asian woman, with short black hair. She bought her ticket and kept her eyes on Rogue. She followed her onto the train as the boarding began.  
  
*****  
  
On the train, Rogue seemed less tense, but still looked sad and confused. She was very tired, and wanted to rest, but the constant talks and whispers in her head wouldn't let her. She had managed to fall asleep for a good twenty minutes or so, but woke up from the incessant chatter going on in her mind. It was only one voice, but it was saying so many things at once, some loud, some quiet; that it seemed like several voices. She now knew how Jean had felt when her powers had gone out of control. She still didn't know what exactly the voice(s) was saying, but one thing was clear, they were getting louder and more convergent as time went on. She tried to ignore them by staring out of the window and looking at the scenery flashing by, hoping it would distract her and take her mind off of it. While gazing, she saw what looked like a woman, with blonde hair, standing out in the middle of nowhere. She looked back to try and see if it was just her imagination, but the train was going too fast for her to know for sure. It was an odd sight to see, but she could have sworn she saw it. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a face appeared at her window. It was the face of the woman Rogue had fought with earlier. Rogue jumped out of her seat in shock and screamed out in fright. She ran quickly out of her seat and headed for the bathroom.  
  
"Oh mah gosh, oh mah gosh..it's her! How did she follow me here? What's  
  
going on?!" She said to herself.  
  
Rogue washed her face to calm herself down. She dried her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a total mess; her make-up was ruined. She tried washing the rest of it off and as she dried her face off again and looked at herself once more, she saw the face of Carol staring back at her. Rogue was taken aback and hit the wall behind her as she yelled out before running hysterically out of the bathroom. She sped back to her seat nervously and pulled the shades over the window. She sat down, putting her knees up on the chair and her arms around her knees, crying as she rocked back and forth, her face wide eyed and scared. A train attendant came by and asked Rogue if she was ok. Rogue didn't respond; she didn't even look at her. The train attendant continued to speak to Rogue.  
  
"Miss? Miss? Are you all right?"  
  
"It's MS., and I'm fine! Please, just let me be," Rogue responded fiercely.  
  
The train attendant left, with a worried look on her face. She dialed a number on her cell phone, but the call wouldn't go through. "Stupid train ...no signals!"  
  
Rogue was now even more shocked than ever. That attitude, that manner of speaking. That wasn't like her at all. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but the voices in her head were now louder and more concise and focused than ever; more of a single voice than many voices. It sounded so familiar, as if she'd heard it before, but her mind was such a mess; she couldn't put her finger on it. She could hardly remember what happened earlier that night.  
  
"Hello, Sister. Rogue, is it?" Rogue heard the voice say loudly and clearly.  
  
"What? Who said that?"  
  
Rogue looked around but found no one there.  
  
"It's me. Don't you remember? I'm right here."  
  
"Who are you? Where are you? Ah don't see you."  
  
"Here, in your mind."  
  
"What? How? What do you-"  
  
You don't remember? The fight we had? How you absorbed my powers, my very BEING, my life, my SOUL? How you took them all away?"  
  
"What are you talking about? I can't remember anything. My mind is so...so...jumbled."  
  
"Look deep within your mind. Focus. Look back and remember."  
  
In Rogue's head, she saw images and a flashback of earlier that night. She saw herself and that woman they went to meet...Carol Danvers. She remembered fighting her firecely. It was all coming back to her now.  
  
"But, Ah don't understand. Why are you so loud and clear in my head? Usually after Ah absorb someone, Ah almost BECOME them and Ah can see their life clearly but never for this long. They fade become like shadows in my mind, deeply hidden."  
  
"Well, looks like you took a little too much, eh, sister? Seems we're going to be roomies for a while. But you know, I don't think this mind is big enough for both of us. I'm not happy with these accommodations; it's kind of cramped actually. I don't want to share any more, so how about I just take over? It'll take some getting used to, your body I mean, but I'm sure  
  
I'll adapt."  
  
"What? No! Get out of mah head! Leave me alone! You can't!" Rogue  
  
said.  
  
She let out a huge scream and then all of a sudden, stopped and was quiet. Everyone in the train stared at her. The train attendant ran to her and asked her what was wrong.  
  
"Nothing. Everything's fine. I'm fine, thank you," Rogue responded calmly.  
  
The woman was shocked; that wasn't Rogue. The way she spoke, the conviction in her voice. It wasn't the scared Southern girl she had just heard yelling a few moments ago. The young woman known as Rogue, or whoever she was now, simply leaned against the window, and went to sleep, waiting for the train to arrive at its destination.  
  
***Meanwhile, at the X-mansion***  
  
"So, like, can you find her?" Kitty asked.  
  
"I tried using Cerebro to trace her brainwaves, but her mind is too clouded to pinpoint. The only way would be if she's using her powers, which I'm sure she wouldn't do freely," Xavier responded.  
  
"So, what can we do?" Jean asked.  
  
"There's not much we CAN do. If Carol's mind wasn't in such a vegetative state, we could use her brain wave patterns to trace Rogue. I'm afraid all we can do is wait for her to come to us," the professor told them sadly, wishing he had better news.  
  
"In her confused state, I'm not sure she would know how," said a worried Storm.  
  
A general feeling of hopelessness and sadness for their missing teammate was felt throughout the room. Everyone left the room with the saddest looks upon their faces, each missing and praying for Rogue as they went on their separate ways. 


	4. Resolution

Author's Ramble: (read Author's note in chapter 3) Again, BIG thanks to those who read and reviewed...you are my only fans it seems!! This is the last part but there is a sequel in the works. Depending on how many people want it, I'll put it up. There will be no Rietro (sorry) or any romances for that matter because 1) it's not part of the story and 2) I'm not particularly good at writing romances. But it will contain lots and lots of drama (sequel included). Also, since nothing stays in format except for Underlines, All things that should be stressed or italicized (like literary quotes) are underlined. That's about it! Enjoy! Please review!! Remember...more reviews=faster updates!

  
  


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****Back at the train, some hours later***  
  
The train stopped as it finally reached its end point. The train attendant went to awaken Rogue and inform her of their arrival. Rogue woke up and yawned and stretched. Apparently she had slept well, which was strange for someone who had seemed so anxious and frightened just hours ago. Everyone, including Rogue, left the train and walked quickly towards the exit. The train attendant chased after her; she couldn't let her get outside. The woman dominating Rogue's mind could easily run away with Rogue's body as her own, going who-knows-where and taking with her all hopes of bringing Rogue back. Rogue could be lost forever in the deepest parts of her mind. She ran up to Rogue and yelled out her name, hoping to it would bring Rogue's psyche back in control.  
  
"Rogue!! Rogue! Rogue!"  
  
She finally caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder. Rogue didn't react to her name being called but was startled and turned around when she felt the hand.  
  
"Who are-?" What--? I'm not Ro--"  
  
"Get out of her head, whoever you are! Rogue!! Rogue! Rogue! Rogue! Fight her, Rogue!"  
  
"No!...Stop it! Shut up! I won't...I won't let her out!"  
  
"Yes! Rogue, fight it! Fight it, Rogue!! Rogue! Rogue!"  
  
"No, STOP! Ah.."  
  
"ROGUE! ROGUE!!"  
  
She continued repeating her name over and over, watching as Rogue's head shook violently. She could see there was a fight going on in there over control of her body.  
  
Rogue's eyes were squeezed tightly shut. She pushed her hands over her ears and continued to shake her head in confusion and pain. The woman continued to say her name louder, harder, and faster. Rogue gave out a large yell before opening her eyes again.  
  
"Ah'm...Ah'm here. Ah'm back. How did you-?"  
  
Rogue looked around for the one yelling her name but the woman was gone. She had no idea who she was but she obviously knew her. Rogue couldn't worry about that now; she had no time to waste. She had to get where she was going before Carol took over again. She took a taxi and arrived at her destination. It seemed like so long since she had been there. She wasn't sure she would even remember where it was from all the confusion in her head, but she did. She wondered if the door was still unlocked, as it always was. Sure enough it was and Rogue walked right in.  
  
"Hello? Anyone here? Ah'm home."

  
  


"Yes, Rogue, I'm here."  


"Ahrene!!!"  
  
She ran to up to the blind woman and grabbed her, giving her a big hug. She wasn't much of a hugger, but right now, she really needed one.  
  
"Oh Rogue. My dear child. I've missed you," she said as she held Rogue tightly in her arms, petting her head gently.  
  
Rogue began to sob uncontrollably.  
  
"Oh, Ahrene...Something's happened. Ah can't explain...Ah don't know....this voice...this girl...in mah head....she won't stop. This woman, Carol, she's inside me....Ah can't get her out Ahrene...Please! Help me...Ah don't know what to do. She won't leave me alone. She won't....AAAAAAAAAHHH!" Rogue said as she yelled out again.  
  
Rogue fell to her knees, holding and shaking her head, screaming in agony.  
  
"Oh no, it's happening again, she's trying to take over! Ahrene help me, PLEASE!"  
  
"Don't let her, Rogue! Fight it, fight it!"  
  
"Ah'm tryin', Ah can't...She's too strong."  
  
"NO! You're stronger, fight it! Fight her Rogue. No matter what, don't give up! Don't let her take over! She can't win! Don't let her win!"  
  
Rogue screamed out even louder and began to toss about uncontrollably on the floor, trying to fight Carol within her head. This went on for a few moments, until finally Rogue let out one last loud shriek, and passed out.  
  
A woman with shoulder-length, wavy brown hair came in through the door. She looked heavy-heartedly at the girl laying down on the floor. She picked her up and placed her on the couch, putting a pillow under her head and a blanket over her body. The woman morphed into her true blue-skinned, red-haired form.  
  
"Is she going to be all right?" Mystique asked.  
  
"I don't know. I doubt it. She's just exhausted now, she fought very hard. A fight of the mind is the hardest fight of all."  


"How did this happen? How can this be?"  


"She held on for too long, it seems, absorbing too much of the Danvers woman's self. It seems she'll have her psyche in her mind forever, as well as her powers."  
  
"Forever? She'll always have Carol in her mind? How can she live like that?"  
  
"Yes, always. And she can't live like this. She can't keep fighting Carol forever. It'll be too much for her. She barely survived this last struggle.Any more and she may lose her mind in the process, becoming catatonic; in a permanent coma, like Carol."  
  
"How could you not warn me of this, Irene? You didn't tell me this would happen!"  
  
"I didn't know it would happen. Had I known, I would have told you. I told you what I did see. I told you that Rogue and Danvers would fight, and that she would absorb her powers. I didn't know it would be this much. But now she has all the power, just as you had wanted. Isn't that what you wanted Raven? Limitless power? Now she has it, but everything comes with  
a price."  
  
"I wouldn't have gone to Danvers if I had known. I would not have set her up if I knew this would happen to Rogue."  
  
"Wouldn't you have, Raven? You've always gone to extreme lengths to get what  
you want."  
  
Mystique sighed then responded, "I didn't want it like this...not like this..." She paused sullenly. 

"So what do we do now? What will happen to her?"  
  
"She needs help; a lot of help. She needs someone to help her fight Danvers. She can't do it alone."  
  
"So where do we take her? Where do we go? A mental hospital, a psychiatrist?"  
  
"What would we tell them? Even telling them that she has another personality, without the fact that she got it using her mutant powers, would be enough to get her into a mental institute. Anyway, they can only do something about true mental illnesses like multiple personalities or a Schizophrenia, not an invading psyche. They can't help her. There's only one person highly skilled in dealings with the mind who can, who will need no one to explain her special needs or her circumstances.."  
  
"Who? Wait--what?! You don't mean--?? NO! No way! There has to be another way. Anything but that, anyone but HIM! I won't lose her, not again, not to him. I've lost two children to him. Now that I've got one of them back, I can't lose her again."  


"You didn't get her back, Raven. She's hardly even here to begin with. There is no other choice, Raven. It's over. There's nothing else we can do. I don't like it any more than you do, but if we don't do something, we really will lose her. She could become a 'vegetable' and then there won't be any Rogue left to lose. "  


Mystique sighed. "No...no...I can't I won't. It's not fair.... He gets to take her away from me again. You know, I've gotten to know so much more of her as Risty. We've become good friends. She almost trusts me enough to tell me her secret. I love it so much, being her friend, spending time with her. But, oh, how I wish I could be her mother, instead of just her friend. And now you're telling me I have to give her back to him. It's not fair."  
  
"I know, Raven. I know. I've gotten to know her and grown to love her as my own through the years as well. But you know what we have to do. We have to do what's best for Rogue. It's out of love that we make the biggest sacrifices. We have to do it, we have no other choice. It's the only way, you know it is."  
  
Mystique let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, Irene...I know...I'll go make the call."  
  
***Hours later (however long it takes the Blackbird to get from Bayville to Mississippi)  


Within a few hours, the doorbell rang. Mystique (in her true form), opened the door to find Scott and Jean. They were shocked to see their enemy at the door, but saw by the look on her face that she meant no harm.  
  
"Rogue is asleep on the sofa. We gave her some sedatives to keep her subdued. She can't handle the voices when she's awake." (and yes, Mystique has sedative injections available, she's a sneaky changeling, she has her ways.)  
  
"Thank you, for taking care of her, and for letting us take her back. She's very special and very important to us," Jean said to Mystique.  
  
"I'm not letting you do anything, but I know it's the only way to save her."  
  
"We'll take good care of her," Scott replied.  
  
"See that you do."  
  
Scott and Jean walked into the house and saw Irene sitting on a chair by the couch where Rogue was lying peacefully. Jean used her TK to gently lift up Rogue and place her in Scott's arms.  
  
As they left, Mystique spoke once again, "Don't tell her you saw me here. And--you're--welcome", Mystique said reluctantly. "Thought it is not easy for me to see you take her away from me, I'm sure--I know that she'll be safe and well taken care of with you. I know how truly special she is and she's very important to me, more than you know. I care for her very much and I love her dearly. For me, losing her is like losing--a daughter."   
  
Jean and Scott just looked at her, not knowing what to say to their once fiercest and most feared enemy who spoke these words of endearment. They knew it must've been hard for her to say, especially 'you're welcome', and they actually had some respect for her now. They nodded their heads in understanding and headed for the van waiting outside. Mystique watched as they carried her away. A tear fell from her eye as she closed the door.  
  
***Hours later, at the X-mansion****  
Rogue woke up in the infirmary. Not knowing where she was, she looked around the room and saw Beast sitting on a chair, in the corner, by the door.  
  
"What happened? How'd Ah get here?"  
  
"Your guardian, Irene Adler, called us to get you. Are you all right? How's your head?" Beast responded.  
  
"It's...umm...fine, actually. It's quiet and calm in here again. Ah don't hear her voice anymore. How did--Where'd she--?"  
  
"Professor Xavier worked on your mind while you slept, to quiet down the occupying presence. He says he'll need to keep working with you for quite some time to shut her out completely, with your assistance."  
  
"What's happened to Carol? Is she OK?"  
  
"We don't know exactly--"  
  
"Mr. McCoy...please..."  
  
Beast sighed. "I never was a good liar. Well, she hasn't woken up yet, and it looks like she might not ever, or at least not for some time. As of now, her mind has shut down and is blank, but they are keeping her alive on life support. Professor Xavier is going to see if he can do anything for her. It may take time, but her thinks there may be some hope, however small."  
  
"Then...Ah killed her. Ah took her life away. She'll never BE again now because of me. Ah--" Rogue said as she began to cry.  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Rogue. She was fighting you. You were acting in self-defense. You couldn't have known this would happen. No one could have predicted such a thing. It's not your fault."  
  
"Ah don't suppose you're going to quote Shakespeare now to make your point and try to make me feel better?"  
  
Beast didn't respond.  
  
"Well, then, Ah guess Ah will."  


"What, will these hands ne'er be clean?--No more o'  
that, my lord, no more o' that: you mar all with  
this starting."  


"Here's the smell of the blood still: all the  
perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little  
hand."  


Rogue paused for a moment; her eyes filled with water.  
"What's done cannot be undone"  
  
  
Beast's eyes swelled up with tears of sympathy for the young girl he had befriended at the instittute. He didn't want her to see him cry, so he pardoned himself from the room.  


"Excuse me a moment, Rogue, while I go tell the others you're awake," he said as he walked towards the door. "Will you be seeing any visitors today? Everyone's been waiting for you to wake up so they could see you."  
  
"No thanks, Mr. McCoy. Ah think Ah wanna be alone for a while."  
  
"Yes, I understand. 'What a sigh is there! The heart is sorely charged,'" he said to himself.  
  
Beast left the room and Rogue was alone. She turned on her side (the opposite side from the door and Beast) and curled herself into a ball; her arms crossed and closed her eyes tightly as the tears poured out onto her pillow.  
  
*************************THE END*************************************

  
  


After note: So what did you think?? Be honest!! Could you guess what the link to Macbeth was? Well the quote part gave away the part of Lady Macbeth and her guilt, but there's another more subtle part that's not as obvious. In Macbeth, the weird sisters tell Macbeth of how he will become king. When he tells Lady Macbeth this, they plan to kill the King and he will take his place (I forgot the details, sorry). Something we discussed in class on this was whether or not Macbeth would have done it had the Weird Sisters not told him. Would the prophecy have come true if he didn't know about it? Would Carol have attacked the X-women if Mystique had not come and told her they would come? (Kind of like that scene in the Matrix with the Oracle)

  
  



End file.
